


Nothing to Fear

by Selaxes



Series: The Days That Followed [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Adult Situations, F/M, Injury, Love Confessions, Nudity, Recovery, medical drug use, mild violence, romantic situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 13:44:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13365951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selaxes/pseuds/Selaxes
Summary: When a still rookie Nicholas Wilde is injured while on duty, Judy Hopps races to the hospital to see her friend. Over the course of the night discoveries and realizations will be made that will alter the lives of the 'Heroes of Zootopia' forever.





	Nothing to Fear

“You know you love me.”

“Do I know that? Why, yes. Yes I do.”

******************

Judy Hopps barely waited for the automatic glass doors to open before plowing through into the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital Emergency Room. She had a frantic glint to her amethyst eyes as she scanned the interior. There was a diverse cross section of Zootopia’s citizenry that sat on the cushioned chairs and benches in the emergency room waiting area. No one looked overly sick or injured, most of the mammals simply looking bored or anxious to be away as soon as possible. The receptionist behind the desk looked up as the uniformed bunny stood rigidly in the middle of the entryway, her paws clenched into fists as she looked around. The groundhog waved Judy forward with a nod and understanding smile.

“Through the door, Trauma Room Four,” the groundhog said as she tripped the lock from her position behind the reception desk. “There are a few other officers back there so you shouldn’t have any problem finding your friend.”

“Thank you!” Judy said in relief before stepping through the heavy doors, the first other police officer that she saw being Wolford. 

The white furred wolf was talking to another officer that Judy had seen around Precinct One but didn’t know her personally. It irritated the rabbit that the pair of them were joking and laughing until Wolford saw the rabbit approaching and actually backed up a step with his paws up. “Slow down, Hopps,” the wolf said with an attempt at a friendly smile. “It’s not that bad! Seriously. It isn’t life threatening.” He turned his head while keeping his light brown eyes on Judy. “It isn’t, is it, doc?”

“I’ve seen worse,” a disembodied voice said from inside the Trauma Room. “I’ve also seen better. Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to finish my work.”

Judy glared at Wolford who actually gulped in apprehension before the bunny pushed him out of her way and entered the treatment room and shut the door. It would have slammed had it not been equipped with a hydraulic return that slowed the heavy panel at the last moment with a hiss before the latch clicked. Bent over a draped body a red panda fished around for a moment before withdrawing a pair of forceps and dropped a lead pellet into a stainless steel tray with a sharp ‘CLINK!’ and dove back in. Sitting in an inclined position with a sheepish expression was Nick Wilde, a wide smile on his muzzle and his emerald eyes slightly unfocused. At any other time there would have been a curtain to keep a patient from watching the proceedings, but the fox wasn’t overly interested in where the doctor plucked lead shot out of his leg and hip.

“Hey, Carrots!” Nick slurred slightly. “You know, they got really good medicine here!” he said in an exaggerated whisper, his smile spreading into a grin until the doctor dug a little deeper into the fox’s leg that elicited a yelp of pain from his patient. “Ow! Hey. Doc. Kinda felt that one.”

“So I gathered, Officer Wilde. Unfortunately I can’t authorize any more pain medication without completely anesthetizing you,” the red panda said as he leaned closer to the fox’s leg and narrowed his reddish-brown eyes. “I’m afraid the next few extractions are going to hurt a bit. They’re a little deeper than I like, but I want you to tell me if you feel any changes. Such as if there’s a burning feeling, or if it seems like it’s getting cold or if you lose feeling altogether. Can you do that for me, Officer Wilde?”

“Sure!” Nick said as he relaxed against the back of the raised bed. “Hey doc? Is it okay if I have Carrots come over here so I can hold her paw?”

The doctor sighed and glanced up over the rim of the glasses he wore. “If it will keep you from squirming around it would be a most welcome distraction.”

Nick’s tail began to wag furiously, the thrashing of his caudal appendage moving part of the drape that covered him exposing the fox and showing Judy that he was sans uniform pants and underwear. “Sweet berries! I don’t have any pants. Don’t look, Judy!” Nick said, his ears folding down in embarrassment, the insides turning a dark pink that the bunny was sure made its way down his fur covered cheeks. “Of all the days to forget to wear underwear…” he lamented as he tried to replace the drape. It was a clumsy attempt further hampered by the intravenous line in one arm.

Judy couldn’t help but smile as she snagged a roller chair with her foot and pulled it closer while pushing the fox’s paws away from the drape and got him situated and covered. “It’s okay, Nick,” the rabbit said as she sat down and took Nick’s paw, squeezing the fingers hers were wrapped around to reassure herself that her friend was still alive and that things weren’t as bad as they could have been. She sniffed once and blinked her eyes as they started to feel full and fought back tears, but ones of relief. “I’ll pretend that I didn’t see you without your pink smiley muzzle underwear.”

“That’s good,” the fox breathed until he realized what the bunny had said. “Waitaminute,” he husked, a frown creasing his brow as his ears drooped again. “How do you know that I have pink underwear with smiley muzzles?”

“Confidential informant,” Judy replied with a quiet snort of laughter.

“Oh. Okay. I can understand a CI,” the fox said, once more whispering in an exaggerated manner. Then he looked up at Judy and grinned widely. “Wow! Hey Judy? Do you know you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen? I don’t think I’ve ever told you that, but you do.” He reached up and touched the fur of her cheek with his other paw, shifting enough to pull away from the doctor that was tending him. “And really soft fur. I mean, no mammal should have fur that soft. Kinda makes me want to hold you just to see what it would feel like!”

“Down, boy,” Judy said with a self-conscious chuckle and pushed the heavily medicated fox back. “Just let the doctor work so we can get you home.”

“Oh. Okay!” Nick enthused and closed his eyes while humming happily while his thumb pad stroked the fur of the bunny’s knuckles where she still held his paw.

The red panda only looked up for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to his work.

********************

“Come on, just one more step,” Judy said as she helped Nick up the stairs to the apartment he lived at, though Judy had never been there before. He’d had a nap of sorts after the doctor finished removing the birdshot and then let the fox sleep off the residual anesthetics before taking his vitals, giving him a bag of antibiotics and pain medication and releasing Nick to Judy’s care.

The apartment was in the same building as the tailor and dry cleaning shop that his uncle owned, the older fox more than happy to have his nephew as a source of constant and reliable income in the form of rent. As Nick fumbled for his key in the pocket of his blood stained uniform pants, Judy prepared herself for a typical bachelor’s pad or a lothario’s love nest. What she saw as her friend opened the door was a complete surprise.

While the building was old, Nick had taken great pains to renovate and clean up the apartment that hadn’t seen actual tenants other than him for almost thirty years. The furniture sat on polished hardwood floors that had tasteful throw rugs in combinations of blue and green lying in key areas. The furniture was all new with simple but sturdy wood construction and thick cushions that matched the colors of the rugs. The kitchen had been updated at some point with modern appliances and the only real luxuries that the bunny saw were a large HDTV, a top of the line iCarrot computer and a combination of surround sound speakers and completely space age looking entertainment system. The walls were covered with paintings that depicted scenes from all over the city and several that were landscapes of places that Judy had never seen. Interspersed with those were random portrait studies.

“I like the art,” the rabbit said as she helped the fox to the low couch, lowering her friend slowly until he was comfortable. The pain medication had worn off a while ago and while Judy tried to get him to take more, Nick refused, much to her chagrin. “Are you sure you don’t want a pill? It’ll help,” she offered.

“No pills,” the fox said as he leaned back then smiled as pressure was taken off of his leg and side. “Ooo. That’s better.”

“Why not take a pain pill, Nick? That’s what they’re for!”

The fox shook his head tiredly, the day’s events having caught up as the hospital medications wore of. “Carrots, I’ve been out on the streets a long time. Too long, I guess. I…I hate drugs. I mean, I really hate them. I’ve seen mammals throw their lives away, literally, just for a fix of this or a hit of that. For me drugs rank right up there with bullies.” He opened his eyes and regarded the bunny. “My…my dad…” Nick shook his head as his eyes grew a little distant and pained. “He wanted his own shop, just like my Uncle Ray. He didn’t get it and had to take the only job he could get and wound up busting his tail as a repairmammal. It was so-so pay, and we were able to scrape by, but then one day he had an accident.

“We weren’t rich. We weren’t even what you could consider lower middle-class. We were just a step of being dirt poor if truth be told. When he had his accident there weren’t the programs they have now to help mammals that couldn’t afford insurance or health care and the doctors he saw were…questionable. They never really helped him, but they were more than happy to toss pills at him. It was a quick way to make money and those doctors really didn’t have to work hard.”

Judy sat down on the couch and looked at her friend, reminded again that Nick hadn’t had anything remotely resembling a normal life. No wonder he’d become a hustler and con artist. “What happened?” she asked softly, her paws clasped and resting on her lap.

“Dad got hooked. Pills were the only way he could function. Then one wasn’t enough, and then two wasn’t enough, then the pills no matter how many he took weren’t enough. He hurt so bad, but he tried to keep on going for me and mom…”

When nick swallowed and took a moment to wipe at his eyes, Judy reached out and touched his shoulder. “It’s okay, Nick. You don’t have to dig up those memories. You’ve been through enough today.”

“Yeah,” Nick said morosely as he began to scratch at his neck and throat. “That’s the other problem. Coming down off pills makes me feel itchy! I swear it’s like I’ve got ants all through my fur,” he griped and tried to reach his back with a snarl of frustration.

“Hold on,” Judy told him with a sympathetic look as she climbed behind her friend and settled in before giving him a good back scratch. “How’s that?”

“Oh! Oh, wow! Yeah. Right there!” the fox said as he leaned forward, his right leg, the uninjured one fortunately, began to bounce a little when Judy got close to his sides and he began to make happy noises that were like a purring chirp, noises she’d never heard from him before. “Oooo! Oooo! Between the shoulders please! Oh! That’s it!”

The bunny couldn’t help but laugh at the fox’s response but continued her ministrations. “You keep making noises like that and your neighbors are going to think something very kinky is going on over here!”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t have neighbors,” Nick said with a sigh as he slumped forward until he put too much pressure on the area of his left side where the doctor had removed almost a dozen of the small shotgun pellets. He jerked up with a whining yip of pain.

“Is there anything I can get you?” the bunny asked as she stayed where she was and put her paws on the Nick’s shoulders and moved her head closer. 

When the fox turned to look at Judy their noses almost touched, the sudden proximity to each other feeling extremely intimate to both of them. They stared at each other for long moments, he drinking in the amethyst of her eyes, she almost drowning in his emerald colored ones. Before she knew what she was doing Judy moved incrementally closer, her heart thudding in her chest until the fox winced in pain.

“Uh…I…I have aspirin in the cabinet over the sink…” Nick whispered before turning away, his face feeling flushed as his throat felt tight and his pulse hammered in his ears.

“Aspirin isn’t good for injuries like this. It thins the blood.”

The fox nodded. “You’re right. Um, I think there might be something else. I’m not sure.”

“Right,” the bunny said and moved off the couch, slightly dazed and a little unsteady. “Over the bedro…um, I mean sink! Sink…yeah.” She stepped into the open kitchen set up and got the bottle of over-the-counter pain relievers before pulling a glass from the wooden rack where it looked like most of the fox’s dishes resided. He didn’t have many plates or bowls and the bunny questioned him about this as she filled the glass with water. 

“It’s just me here. I don’t need a lot of dishes and I really don’t do a lot of cooking. Not much point when I’m either at work or asleep,” Nick pointed out.

Judy came back and handed him the glass before tipping her paw over his with the requested, generic pain relievers. “What about days off? Don’t you do anything then? You can’t work all the time.”

The fox choked down the medicine and chased it with a gulp of water. “I have my hobbies, yeah.”

Judy grinned at the possibility of learning more about the fox. “What hobbies?”

Nick pointed at the pictures on the walls. “I like to draw and paint. I picked it up when I helped my Uncle out with his tailoring business years ago. It helps if you can draw a suit or dress before making it. It helps you envision just what it’ll look like.”

“The paintings are beautiful! You have real talent for a dumb fox! But no cooking, huh?” the bunny tsked, chiding him teasingly. “Too bad. Being able to cook would make you a heck of a catch!”

“But why cook when I can just grab something and not have to do dishes?” He watched as Judy gave him a dubious look and he had to chuckle. “I don’t eat out that often. A lot of times my Aunt and Uncle have me over for dinner. Uncle Ray and Aunt Marnie were always there for me and Mom after…after Dad…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Sorry.”

Impulsively Judy took the glass from him and set it on the table before giving her friend a warm embrace. “Don’t worry about it.”

When the bunny pulled away, Nick cleared his throat. “I, um, I really need a shower. The doc plugged up all the little holes with that weird glue stuff so it shouldn’t be a problem as long as I don’t scrub too hard. I just really need to get clean. My fur is completely matted with blood and it feels absolutely disgusting. I just hope I don’t smell as bad as I feel.”

“Sure,” Judy said. “I’d…uh…like to stick around until you’re done if that’s okay. I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I left before I knew you were safely in bed.”

Nick smiled as he stood stiffly. “Sure. Help yourself to whatever you want. TV remote’s there, snacks are in the pantry, I think I might have a cold beer or three in the fridge. I’ll just be a little bit. I wouldn’t want to be the reason you overslept tomorrow. Bogo would never forgive me.”

Judy shook her head. “Nope. Vacation time as of three O’clock this afternoon. Mandatory. The Chief said he’d dock my pay if I didn’t start taking some of the off time I’ve accrued.”  
“Then why the heck are you still in uniform?”

“Because I came to see you in the hospital,” Judy told him with her tongue stuck out before laughing.

“Dumb bunny,” the fox quipped with a wink to show he didn’t mean it before hobbling back towards the obvious bedroom and where Judy assumed his bathroom was. 

Without hesitating, the rabbit made her way to the kitchen and found a couple of cans of blueberry soda. It seemed that Nick really did like his blueberries, and popped the top before ambling around the apartment to look at the paintings. Each one was exquisite and she wondered how it was that the fox had opted for a life of petty crime before joining the ZPD instead of one in art. As she heard the water start to run, Judy continued her circuit before spying a nook just before Nick’s bedroom where an easel was set up and a small, cheap folding table held an assortment of art supplies. The canvas on the easel had the beginnings of a sunset scene on it with something else done in what looked like blue pencil that took up the lower two thirds. She had no idea what the blue markings might be, not really having any artistic talent save her acting back in school.

Then Judy noticed what looked like a drawing tablet on a low table that sat near the bench seat that was part of the large window. She couldn’t help it as her paws lifted it from its resting place and began to slowly flip through the pages. The first few drawings were colored pencils of some of the paintings on Nick’s walls. The she flipped the page and gasped. The drawing was of a gown in dark purple that looked absolutely incredible! It was a sleeveless design with a low back and fell in an asymmetrical cascade to the left, the right almost risqué in how high it was cut. The next page was a more detailed version of the dress, and the one after that the most shocking.

Nick had drawn a figure to go with the gown, and that figure was, without a doubt, the rabbit herself.

After that each page was a different study of Judy. Judy in her ZPD uniform. Judy in her flannel shirt and jeans from back during the Night Howler conspiracy. One that almost looked like a photograph at first, so detailed that the bunny could swear she saw individual hairs in her fur that had the rabbit looking over her bare shoulder with a sunset in the background and a flower tucked between her ears. Looking from the drawing pad to the easel, Judy knew what the painting he was working on would look like when it was finished. The one after that was simply a portrait drawing of the bunny that was rendered with exquisite detail. There were sketches, some colored and some in just pencil that were other officers they worked with, also highly detailed, but there weren’t as many of those as there were ones of her.

Her heart pounding and her chest tight as she tried to gulp air that suddenly felt to warm, Judy replaced the tablet just as she’d found it and retreated back to the living room area. Why had Nick done so many drawings of her? It certainly couldn’t be because he had feelings for her!

Could it?

Granted, the fox was her first real friend in the city and she’d experienced feelings that were not quite alien in regards to Nick, but they were confusing. She liked him and enjoyed being around the fox, but what she was imagining couldn’t be the case. She was a rabbit! He was a fox! It just…well, it just wasn’t done. Was it?

Judy thought seriously about leaving before she could learn the truth of the matter when Nick hollered out in pain from the shower followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the wall.

Her confusion over the drawings was forgotten as Judy ran to the bathroom. She didn’t bother knocking as she flung the door open and stepped into the steamy room that was filled with the smell of soap and what fox then moved to the tub and yanked the shower curtain back. Nick was curled up in the bottom of the tub, his paws wrapped around his leg as he sobbed softly for a couple of breaths, his face an expression of agony. The reason for his pain was evident. To better access the perforations from the buckshot two patches of fur had been shaved from Nick’s leg and the left side of his abdomen. A quick glance showed well over a dozen red holes and the pink skin beneath was darkly bruised. 

Nick didn’t even flinch as Judy reached into the tub and turned the water off before working her paws under the fox to help him up. His lips were pulled back in pain, his teeth glistening and white in the bathroom light. The sight of his sharp fangs gave the bunny pause, but the thrill that ran through her wasn’t one of fear. It was excitement. She remembered clearly how it felt when his maw was around her throat when they fooled Assistant Mayor Bellwether into thinking Nick had gone Savage through exposure to her Night Howler serum. If anything, Judy had found the feel of his teeth on her throat, the fangs gently pressing into the skin under her fur, completely arousing and erotic. She’d gotten turned on by the feel of him holding her very life in his jaws. Seeing all those teeth now had the exact same effect.

Reining in her sudden arousal, she helped the fox sit up before checking him for other injuries he might have gotten from the fall.

“I got it, Carrots,” Nick said and growled in pain as he tried to straighten his leg and pounded the edge of the tub with a fist. “I hate being an invalid!” the fox burst out when his body refused to cooperate. “And to top it all off I’m not only naked, I look like I’ve got mange…”

“It could’ve been worse,” Judy said and got Nick to his feet, slipping under his arm so he could lean on her as he stepped out of the tub. “You’re alive and you’re still cracking wise. I think it’ll take a lot to get rid of you!” the bunny said as she helped the fox sit on the toilet and turned to get a towel. “That is some pretty nasty bruising, though.” When she got too close to one of the areas that was already a swollen, blotchy purple and Nick drew in a sharp breath, Judy threw the towel down and stood facing her friend with a hard expression. “Okay, I know you hate them, and I know why, but will you please, please! take just one of the pain pills the hospital gave you? I’ll even keep them on me so you don’t have to worry about being tempted to take more than you should.”

Nick’s eyes opened as the severe twinge began to dissipate some and he looked at the rabbit for several long moments before giving in and nodding slowly.

“Good! One or two when you’re hurting like this doesn’t make you an addict, Nick, and they’re only a little stronger than what you can get at the store” Judy said as she went out and found the bottle the hospital had sent home with the fox. She tapped one out after getting the top off, resealed the bottle and stuck it in her pocket before grabbing the still half full glass of water. When she walked back into the bathroom every step with her right leg rattling slightly, she found him hunched over with one paw above the wounded section of his thigh, the other clutched across his abdomen. His head was lowered and even though his eyes were closed she could see fresh moisture that had nothing to do with the shower had accumulated in the fur of his cheeks. “Come on,” she cajoled. “Open up.”

Nick did as he was told, not in the mood to either argue or crack jokes then sipped at the water when she held it up to his muzzle and tipped it enough for him to get a good drink.  
“Wow. No fighting me, no smart remarks,” Judy said softly. “You must be hurting.” She picked the towel up and held it at her side while she watched the fox. “We’ll give that a little bit to kick in and then we’ll finish getting you dried off.”

“Thank you, Judy,” the fox whispered softly.

There was something off and the bunny knelt in front of Nick, unmindful of his nakedness. It wasn’t really anything she hadn’t seen before, though maybe a little different in form, but…well, she was a rabbit, after all, with two hundred and seventy five brothers and sisters. What concerned her was the way that Nick was starting to act. It wasn’t too dissimilar to her own behavior in the weeks following the Night Howler incident. Department psychologists told her it was delayed post traumatic stress at having been in mortal jeopardy. Nick had to be going through the same as he’d had a criminal point a shotgun at him just a few hours earlier and filled him with birdshot. If it had been regular shotgun shells they wouldn’t have been talking.

“Nick,” she said softly. “Look at me.” Her tone was low and soft but insistent and her friend finally looked up, his eyes slightly haunted. “You’re realizing the ‘could-have-been’s’ from situation you faced today. It’s delayed fear response. You had something traumatic happen today and it was terrible, but you’re still alive! The thing is, you aren’t alone. Nearly everybody in the department has gone through it.” Judy chuckled softly, “Believe it or not, even Clawhauser went through something like this when he was on the beat. The thing you need to remember is you aren’t alone. Okay?”

Nick nodded but still didn’t say anything. When it seemed enough time had passed for the pill to begin working, Judy finished drying the fox off as best she could without the benefit of a full body blow dryer, something the fox didn’t have. She’d have to see to it he got one at some point. When Nick began to get the shakes Judy hauled him to his feet and helped him into his bedroom.

Like the rest of the house the bed was simple but still high quality and was covered in a thick comforter with memory pillows. She couldn’t say why it surprised her, but once more it wasn’t what she expected. Especially not from a bachelor fox that was, at least as far as she was concerned, more than attractive. Judy helped her friend sit down and saw that he was looking at her with eyes that were filled with physical pain, but there was also gratitude in them. “Thanks, Carrots,” Nick whispered. “You’re a better friend than I deserve.”

“Any time, Nick. You saved my life, too, remember?” she told him, feeling a little uncomfortable, though it had nothing to do with the fox’s continued state of undress and more with a mammal thanking her for simply doing what was right. “So…do you have any pajamas or…something I can get you?”

Nick nodded in the direction of a set of tall drawers on the far wall. “Third drawer down. Got some clothes there. Just a pair of shorts, though.” Judy found him a pair of shorts, oddly enough they were the ones that the ZPD Academy issued for gym use. They were light and loose, just the thing for the injured fox. Judy helped him get them on, an ironic smirk on her face. “What are you smiling about?” he asked with curiosity.

Judy shook her head. “Oh, no. If I tell you, you’ll just laugh at me or make some kind of smart remark.”

“Not at this point, Carrots. I’m hurt, I’m somewhat stoned, and I really don’t have a shred of dignity left to me at the moment.” Nick lifted his rump high enough to tug the shorts under him and got them situated. “I could use something to smile about just about now.”

He was right. Nick did look as if he could use a smile right then. “I was just thinking that the last time I was alone with a guy I was more interested in helping him undress than putting clothes on.” She glanced up and saw the admission made Nick a little uncomfortable. “Sorry. Don’t mind me. I’m being a dumb bunny.”

Nick sighed and the corners of his mouth twitched a little. “Look. No jokes,” he told her and tried to lie back on the bed but the injured leg wouldn’t cooperate and he tried to lift it with his paws. Without saying anything Judy was there and helped once more before kneeling down next to the bed. Before she knew what she was doing the bunny was running her finger pads and short claws through the fur on Nick’s head.”You should head home,” he mumbled. “It’s either really late or way too early.”

The bunny shook her head. “Vacation time, remember? I don’t have anywhere to be, and I want to make sure that you’re all right. If it’s okay with you I’ll sleep on the couch so I’m here in case you need anything. It’s going to take a couple of days for that bruising to go down anyway.” Judy smiled as she continued to run her fingers through his fur, a part of her liking the way coarse outer hair gave way to his soft undercoat. In a way it was similar to the fox himself. Once you got past the rough outside that you could see there was a soft warmth that just felt good on the inside. “Do you have something I can borrow to wear? I’ve slept in uniform a time or two, but it was enough to realize it is so not comfortable.”

Whether it was from the pain killer or having his head petted or simply having one of the roughest days a still green cop could have and the comfort of a friend close by, Nick was sound asleep. With a sigh Judy continued to stroke the fur between his ears and watched her friend for a few moments longer before getting up and looking around his bedroom. There was a sense of wrongness in looking through Nick’s stuff that was tempered with curiosity, but she really wanted to get out of her uniform and get some sleep. While the couch felt comfortable enough she wanted a pillow and something to cover up with. 

Judy found everything she wanted in the closet. The cushions on the couch would work for a pillow and there was a crocheted blanket in the closet that was a series of multicolored square lines separated by black ones that looked warm enough. And on a hanger amongst other shirts was the perfect one to sleep in. The green Hawaiian shirt that Nick wore during the Night Howler case. Carrying everything out to the living room Judy set her load on the couch and pulled the Velcro tab at the neck of her uniform top. She doubted that Nick would mind if she used his shower and grabbed the shirt she’d found and headed back into his room.

Mostly clean, though she’d have preferred a nice set of fresh underwear when she was done, Judy returned to the living room area wearing Nick’s green Hawaiian shirt that was almost his trademark when she’d roped him into helping her. It fell to her thighs, which was more than enough to satisfy even the most prudish sense of modesty, and she unfolded the blanket before turning off the light. There was enough illumination coming from the streetlamp outside the apartment’s windows to ensure she didn’t bump into anything and Judy got under the blanket and settled her head on the cushion. Despite being recently laundered, Judy could smell Nick’s scent in the fibers of the shirt and as her eyes grew heavy, the events of the day catching up with her as well, she tugged the fabric up to her nose and smiled as sleep claimed her.

********************

Daylight and the smell of fresh coffee tickled Judy’s nose and gently roused her from her slumber. She cracked open one eye to see a cup with tendrils of steam curling from a large mug on the table in front of the couch. The logo on the black mug was a stylized fox with long curling tail that underlined ‘Vixie’s Bakery’ in coppery colored letters. Next to the cup was a plate of different breakfast pastries, including a slab of carrot cake that looked like it was topped with real cream cheese icing. The smells from the coffee and the plate of goodies were enough to make Judy’s stomach rumble audibly.

“And look who’s up,” Nick said from the other end of the couch where he sipped from his own cup. “My Aunt Marnie came by a little while ago and dropped off breakfast.,” the fox said with a smile. “She found out that I’d been hurt and would have laid into me for not calling her and Uncle Ray, but she saw you sleeping on the couch and limited her ire with some very pointed looks. So, thanks for keeping me from getting my tail chewed,” he told her with some of his humor returning with the morning sun.

“Wow,” Judy said as she sat up and stretched, a yawn escaping her as she came to. “I’m surprised I didn’t hear her.”

“So was I,” he admitted. “You were sleeping awfully hard, though. But then that’s understandable when you think about it. You had a full shift yesterday and then took care of me late into the night.” Nick looked over at the bunny and realized just what he was seeing and jerked his head away, his ears dropping low against his head so quickly they should have made a popping noise. “Um…Carrots? Not to be…um…c-could you…um…cover up? Please?”

Judy blinked at the fox, her mind still not fully awake and aware yet, confused about what the fox was asking until she looked down and realized that she was putting on quite the show as the shirt she’d borrowed had ridden up during the night. “Cheese and crackers!” she hissed and yanked the green Hawaiian shirt down with one paw while tugging the crocheted blanket up. “Now that’s a great way to start the day! Let’s give our best friend a burlesque show!”

Nick watched as she reached for her coffee and expedited the bunny’s effort by picking it up and passing it to Judy. “Well, it’s only fair. I had my twig and berries hanging out all night around you,” the fox said with a chuckle.

“Little more than a twig, dumb fox,” she replied after sipping the coffee. Judy’s eyes went wide when she realized that not only was the coffee a better brew than she normally had, Nick had gotten the cream and sugar ratios spot on and had even used her favorite vanilla caramel flavor. “Oh, stomp! This is good!” Judy said and cradled the mug to her with both paws and stuck her nose right over the rim before inhaling deeply. As the cup of blessedly good java brought her back to life something occurred to the rabbit and she tilted her head to regard Nick to find he was gazing at her. “What?”

He shook his head while a warm, genuine smile split his muzzle and his eyes seemed to light up from within. “Just really enjoying the moment,” he told her softly. “But I think you were about to say something?”

Judy nodded, lost for the moment in the emerald fire in the fox’s eyes that seemed to engulf her and become the only thing in the world that mattered at the moment. “So pretty…” she whispered, not noticing that Nick’s ear twitched at her words.

“Huh?”

“Your eyes,” Judy said with her mouth opening a little as she continued to stare. “They’re so pretty…”

The smile faded slightly and Nick snapped his finger pads twice. “Judy? Are you okay?”

“What?!?” the bunny said with a small shake of her head that sent her ears out a little. “Yeah. I’m fine. Sorry. Not awake yet,” she told her friend and sipped from the mug to hide her embarrassment from staring at Nick and the thoughts that had filled her imagination. “You, um, you’re walking better this morning, I see.”

Nick shrugged. “I think sleep was the best thing for me. I’m still sore as all get out, but the stiffness isn’t so bad.”

“That’s good,” Judy replied softly as she continued to sip, occasionally stealing sideways glances at the fox as her heart continued to beat hard. She picked up the slab of carrot cake and took a bite, her eyes fluttering with absolute bliss with the fresh, sweet taste that filled both her senses of taste and smell. “Just…wow,” she muttered. Before the bunny was aware of it the cake was gone and she was licking little smears of icing from her finger pads. “That was some of the best carrot cake I’ve ever had! Did your Aunt Marnie make it?”

Nick shook his head with a smile. “No. It came from the local bakery. Vixie’s puts out some of the best stuff you’ve ever had. Breads, cakes, pies…she does it all. It’s been a family business in this neighborhood for three generations. A lot of the businesses around this part of town are like that.”

“It put’s my Mom’s to shame,” Judy admitted while wishing there was more but settled on a donut stick that she nibbled on appreciatively. As she ate, Judy decided she needed to come clean about the previous night. “Um…I wanted you to know that I was looking around last night when you went to take your shower…” the bunny began, her ears folding back along her neck as she assumed a chagrined expression and stared at the half full mug in her paws.

“And?” Nick asked in an amused tone. “I told you to help yourself and feel free to do so.”

“I…I know. I was interested in all the paintings and…um…I-I-I found your sketchbook,” Judy admitted as she felt her ears and cheeks warm with a blush that made the light blanket suddenly feel like it was too much.

“So?”

Judy coughed and lowered her head even more as her eyebrows knitted together causing a slight furrow to develop between her eyes. “I…uh…saw the drawings of me…”

“I see,” Nick said and leaned back against the couch with a wince as his injuries caused a moment of discomfort. “So, you’re either flattered or creeped out and you want to know why I drew you, right?”

Judy nodded and assumed almost the same position as the fox, though her legs were tucked up underneath her. “That sums it up pretty well.”

Nick nodded as he formulated an answer. “I can give you three different answers. The first is the comfortable one that won’t be awkward. The second is sarcastic and will make you laugh. Or, I can give you the truth, but you might not like it, even though you deserve no less.” He turned his head to regard the rabbit, his expression as open and guileless as it had ever been. “If you ask for the truth I will do just that, but it’ll put us being friends at great risk, and it might hurt one or both of us very badly.”

Judy thought about it, regretting that she’d brought up the subject and wished she’d just left it alone, but Nick was the best friend she had and, despite the warning, there was a strange feeling of hope that fluttered in her stomach like a butterfly trying to get out. “I…I guess I want the truth,” she whispered finally turning to look at the fox.

“All right. It’s a story, so be patient and keep the questions you’ll have until I’m done, okay? And I’m going to tell it in the third person because it sounds better that way.” Judy nodded silently and waited for him to begin. “It all starts a long time ago. You’ve heard the part of the story and what happened when a young fox kit tried to join the Ranger Scouts, and you know that his life went down the tubes with the problems his Dad had. There were other things, like the way almost all mammals see foxes as sneaky, or sly and untrustworthy. Yeah, Zootopia’s a great city and all, but it’s chock full to overflowing with stereotypes and prejudice. Most foxes in the city have it hard because no one wants to trust them and they wind up as criminals because there aren’t a lot of other choices, so it’s really no wonder how this misguided fox wound up running the streets going from scam to hustle to con if you think about it.

“Get told you’re something long enough and you start to believe it. Especially when so many different mammals are saying the same thing.

“Then, oh, I’d say about eight months ago, the fox of our story met this crazy cop that decided to plop her fuzzy tail into the middle of his life. She interrupted all of his plans, knocked over his own little cart of prejudice and preconceptions before kicking the little fortress of self doubt he’d built over twenty years all to pieces. She had this insane way of seeing things and bought into that story that in this city anyone could be anything. She held onto that with the same certainty that the sun would rise in the east the next morning and set in the west that evening. Her belief was absolutely unshakable.

“Just to give you an idea how crazy she was, this cop conned our street hustling fox to help her with a case that the rest of the cops couldn’t solve that put the whole of Zootopia in danger. Now, he really didn’t want to get involved in this scheme of hers. It scared him. It meant that he’d have to work with someone that he didn’t know, that he’d have to trust her, and after anytime on the streets you learn that doing something like that is a sure way to get busted, or busted up. Or even get a really bad case of dead.

“Oh, this bunny cop scammed him good and our fox saw no other option but to help her. Along the way she started talking about more of her crazy ideas, how even a fox could be more than just a fox, that he could do something that made a difference. The crazy must have been catching because he started to believe her. The pair of them began uncovering clues and leads that led to more of the conspiracy that was going on to get all preds labeled as unstable, as dangerous, and the fox and bunny found themselves leaping from one dangerous moment to the next until they uncovered the entire plot by mammals that let their fear and hate get the better of them. At first the fox had started helping the mentally disturbed cop to keep from going to prison, but as they pushed on and saw the whole sorry mess to the end the fox began to help for other reasons. Sure, the cop was mentally unstable, but she also turned out to be the best friend the fox had ever known and showed him over and over that maybe, despite having a very broken brain, that perhaps she was right and that anyone really could be anything they wanted to be.

“Eventually the bunny cop was proven to be right. Who knew that would happen? And the fox that had been helping her had come to see her as not all that crazy, but one of those remarkable mammals that dares to dream of something more than herself and has the drive to make those dreams come true. And that was when our fox discovered that what he felt had become a little more than just friendship, but he was terrified to tell the once crazy bunny because she would only laugh at him and he’d already been hurt enough.

“Then the bunny cop came up with the most crazy, insane, stark-raving-mad idea yet; Why didn’t the fox become a cop? If she could be more than a dumb bunny and become one of the greatest heroes the city had ever seen, why couldn’t a two-bit con artist become a cop with her? And you know what? He did it.

“He did it because she asked him to.”

Judy turned to look at Nick and saw that there were tears streaming from his eyes in such volume that there were dark tracks in the fur under his eyes and droplets had landed on the shoulders of his T-shirt. She readied to speak to which Nick just shook his head and held up a paw to keep her silent.

“The fox learned that he really could be more than just the sneaky, sly, untrustworthy fox that all those mammals had told him he was his entire life,” Nick continued in a tremulous whisper. “Becoming a cop wasn’t as hard as he’d thought it would be, and the fox found that he, of all mammals, could also make a difference for the better. So he embarked on a new life with the once crazy rabbit cop and did everything he could to help make Zootopia…better. To help make it what it was supposed to be. And he found himself in scrapes and danger but wasn’t afraid because he knew the bunny had his back and would keep him safe, just as he did for her.

“The problem came for our fox when those strange feelings he’d had for the off-her-rocker bunny cop only got stronger and stronger until he realized one day that what he was feeling was love. He’d discovered that her crazy really was catching and that he, a fox, had fallen in love with the cop. Things like that just weren’t done, though, despite everything they’d been through. And the fox didn’t really see the cop that had saved his life so many times as a bunny anymore. He saw her for what she was in her heart. But he kept his muzzle shut because to tell her what he felt might destroy the friendship they had and might drive the bunny that had conned the former hustler out of his heart out of his life forever. It would be better to see the bunny cop every day and hurt inside than even think about life without her. It would be better for our fox to die than to have to live without the best friend that he’d fallen in love with. And just so the fox could look at her late at night when the fear he’d always hidden came out and the nightmares threatened him, he drew her picture so he could always see her when he needed to remember that there was a light in the dark that would always be there for him.”

Judy waited for more but when Nick didn’t say anything else she turned to look at him only to find him with his head bowed, the tears still flowing from his tightly shut eyes as he waited for her to shatter his heart. She turned her body so that she was fully facing him and put her coffee down so that she could take his paw in both of hers.

“You…” the rabbit tried to begin but her voice failed her as her own emotions got the better of her and she swallowed several times to push the lump in her throat back down. “You didn’t finish the story,” Judy whispered. “You left out the part where the crazy bunny cop fell in love with the crazy fox cop because he was one of the best mammals that had ever been born and, right or wrong, couldn’t see her life without the fox that was her best friend and so much more.” She smiled warmly as her own tears began to fall and squeezed his paw. “The fox still had to learn that he didn’t need the pictures he’d drawn because the real bunny would always be waiting for him with open arms and love in her heart for him whenever he needed it.”

Nick’s emerald eyes grew wide as yet more tears welled along the lower lids and his mouth twitched, trying to alternate between a smile of his own and the churning pain that was more than physical deep in his heart while at the same time relief and joy flooded through him at the words Judy spoke. “I-I…I love you, Judy Hopps,” he whispered, his paw trembling as she held it.

“And I love you,” she whispered with a grin that she couldn’t help. “Do…you feel okay today? You don’t hurt too much?”

Nick tilted his head quizzically at the change of topic. “I guess I’m okay for now,” he answered truthfully. “Why?”

Because,” she said as she slid out from under the blanket and moved closer, “I think I’d like to sit on your lap so we can just hold each other for a while.”

Instead of speaking Nick reached over and physically lifted Judy onto his lap, the pain from his injuries superseded by the happiness and love that filled and thrilled him, his arms slipping about the bunny as her own encircled his body and she rested her head on his chest. “You know we’ll never be accepted…us being together. Mammals will call us freaks and deviants,” he said as his head nestled against hers.

Judy nodded, liking the feel of Nick’s fur against her own and the scent of him as it filled her nose. “I know. And I don’t care. It’s their problem. I…I’m not a bunny, and you’re not a fox. We’re just two mammals that love each other and I think that that ‘s all that matters.”

They sat holding each other for almost an hour before Judy let go and slid off Nick’s lap and put her feet down on the thick throw rug, her eyes bright and sparkling as she looked down at the fox and took his paw, helping him stand. “You…you know that…well…me being pred and…you, um, being prey…you have nothing to fear from me, right?” Nick asked as she hauled him up to his feet.

“I know,” Judy said with a smile and caress to the fox’s cheek fur. “I’ve known for a long time I have nothing to fear with you, my Nick.” She started to lead him towards the bedroom. “You know you don’t have anything to fear from me either?”

Nick smiled as she guided him to his bed so he could get some more rest. “I think there will always be a little part of me that fears you, Judy. I’ve seen you knock out a lion during that bar fight call, remember?” he asked as she got the covers over him before slipping under herself and spooning up to the fox’s side. 

“Oh. The bar fight at Fang-ala!” she laughed. “Yeah. That one has a lot of the other guys a little intimidated as well. But not you, Nick. Don’t ever be afraid of me. And I won’t be afraid of you. Deal?”

Nick’s only answer was to turn his head to her for the best kiss either of them had ever experienced.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was my first ever Zootopia fan-fic, and was one of the fluffiest things I'd ever written. It did, however, start a fairly involved arc that will be following shortly.


End file.
